by Timothy Zahn
First published 1987
Jonny Moreau volunteers for an experimental military program that transforms him into a living weapon. Surgeons implant his body with servo motors, computer targeting systems, and concealed lasers that turn his bones into titanium steel and his reflexes into superhuman precision. He becomes a Cobra, an elite soldier designed to infiltrate and destroy the alien Troft forces occupying human colonies. The cybernetic enhancements make him nearly invincible in combat, but they also isolate him from normal human life. When the war ends, Jonny discovers that society fears the very soldiers who saved it. The Cobras face suspicion and rejection from the people they protected. Jonny must navigate a peacetime world that has no place for warriors like him, while political forces debate whether the Cobras represent humanity's salvation or its greatest threat.
Genres: science-fiction, military-fiction, adventure, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, superhuman
Setting: Troft
Period: Peacetime
295 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Arrow
Content warnings: violence